I'm extremely late in posting this one. As such, its intent is more to jog my memory than to be a detailed depiction of this hike with my family. Several weeks ago, my family came to Blacksburg to visit and attend a concert in Galax, VA at the Blue Ridge Music Center. Before making our jaunt down the Blue Ridge Parkway, I dragged my mom and dad around town. One of our expeditions was a trip to the Cascades. What can I say? It's a "must do" and isn't too hard. They just had to come. It turns out that our trip coincided nicely with "National Get Outdoors Day" (who even knew there was such a thing?) and in an effort to assist in the effort, some kind soul had decided to make entrance to the park free for a day. I certainly wasn't complaining.
It was a nice day, albeit the most crowded that I've ever seen the hike. We saw three different garter snakes, bought lemonade from a local lemonade stand, watched a Labrador Retriever frolic merrily through the water, and spent awhile enjoying the buzz of the crowd at the falls. Even more? I got to share a part of Southwest Virginia that I know and love with some of my very favorite people. A good day overall.
